Thank CTE Workers and Their Teachers

COVID-19. Who knew how this virus would affect the world and each of us? For the STEM Equity Initiative, the pandemic highlighted the importance of Career and Technical Education (CTE) among the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways.

Each evening in the news, we heard stories of bus drivers, logistics workers, truckers, childcare workers, health care workers, funeral service workers, morticians, food preparation workers, sanitation workers, machinists, dental workers, construction workers (and on and on) taking care of us. Together these workers kept our economy moving, often at the expense of their own health and sometimes their lives.

We cheered our doctors and nurses, but I am not sure we always remembered to cheer for those behind the scenes who made sure products arrived at our house or were stocked in our grocery stores or provided food for those who desperately needed it.

As the U.S. opens up, and we have a moment to breathe, we can again think about summer vacations and family get-togethers. While the COVID-19 vaccines will help restore our “normal” lives, consider that it was CTE graduates who carried us through the worst of the pandemic. I hope you will take a moment and thank them. And wherever CTE is being taught, stop in and visit so you can see firsthand where heroes are created.